Fire officials are investigating after Monday night’s blaze at a recycling yard in Bermondsey that halted rail services and produced smoke that could be seen across London.
About 100 officers with 15 fire engines tackled the blaze in Landmann Road, Bermondsey, close to the South East London Combined Heat and Power incinerator (SELCHP) and Millwall’s stadium The Den.
The first calls to the London Fire Brigade came at 5.32pm, with crews from Deptford, Old Kent Road, Greenwich and other stations attending. The fire was brought under control at midnight and fully extinguished on Tuesday morning.
Station commander Wayne Bloomfield said: “Firefighters worked hard overnight and have now fully extinguished this fire.
“At its height, the fire involved a large amount of refuse and the roof of a warehouse unit. A van and a car were also destroyed by the fire. One man was treated on scene by London Ambulance Service.
“Due to the significant amount of smoke in the area, local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed.”
Loose embers were also reported, with residents advised to pour water on them if they were concerned. Two 32-metre turntable ladders were deployed to the scene.
Southeastern, Thameslink and Windrush Line services were also affected by the fire, which was next to lines running to Deptford and New Cross.
The fire was across the road and in a separate business from the SELCHP plant, which incinerates waste from Greenwich and Lewisham to generate electricity. Veolia, which operates the plant, has been contacted for comment.
Lewisham’s elected mayor, Liam Shrivastava, thanked the brigade for “for working tirelessly on this huge operation to put the fire out”.
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